Review: The Diary of a Young Girl – By Anne Frank

Summary: The Diary of a Young Girl remains the single most poignant true-life story to emerge from the Second World War.

In July 1942 Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse. Anne was thirteen when the family went into the Secret Annexe and, over the next two years, she vividly describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such confined quarters, the constant threat of discovery, the hunger and fear. Her diary ends abruptly when, in August 1944, she and her family were finally discovered by Nazis.

This book provides a deeply moving and unforgettable portrait of Anne Frank – an ordinary and yet an extraordinary teenage girl.

My Review: When Diary of a Young Girl was chosen for the book club I’m in, I wasn’t very excited. I figured it was going to be a long, hard read. My diary certainly would be. Well, long story short, it wasn’t.

Written by 13-year-old Anne Frank, this wan an emotional and deeply moving book. Anne went through a lot, and yet remained heartbreakingly human throughout it all. As she describes her frustrations and anger during 2 years of close quarters with her family and the Van Dann’s, growing up in general, and just trying to find herself, she is incredibly easy to relate too.

Content Advisory: As this is her private diary, Anne writes freely about going through puberty, starting her period, etc.

To Sum it up: The Diary of a Young Girl dives into a side of the Holocaust never seen before, the lives of the victims in hiding. A truly touching story, and one I am incredibly glad to have read. Everyone needs to read this book at some time in their lives. However, due simply to the Holocaust in general, I recommend this book to 12+.